Ruffler attachment for sewing machines



Dec. 112, 1950 v. J. SIGODA 2,533,291

RUFFLER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 23, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig/ INVENTOR. V/cfor J Slgoda LM iz am Affameys eon 12 E9 v. J. slGQDA 9 RUFFLER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Jam 23,, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A INVENTOR. fijg 5 l/icfor J; S/gpda Affomeys mm, 312 19% v. J. SIQQDA RUFFLER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Jam 25, 1,947

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D% v A Alf/0m eys Patented Dec. 12, 1950 RUFFLER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Victor J. Sigoda, Great Neck, N. Y., assignor to Man-Sew Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 23, 1947, Serial No. 756,447

Claims.

This invention relates to rufiier attachments for sewing machines, and has for its general obiect and purpose to provide certain novel and practical improvements in rufiler attachments of the type heretofore disclosed in Patent No. 2,245,877, dated June 17, 1941.

In the issued patent, the operating mechanism for the rufiler blade is enclosed within a housing attached to the outer side of the needle bar guide head of the sewing machine, and is connected with and actuated by the vertically reciprocating needle bar. In the present instance, the rufliing mechanism is actuated from the main drive shaft or" the machine mounted in the horizontal arm of the sewing machine, and it is one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a one-piece housing structure for the rufiiing mechanism and parts of the power takeoff connection with the main shaft of the machine rigidly mounted at the rear side of the machine arm and operatively supporting the ruffler blade actuating mechanism at the inner side or the needle bar guide head of the machine.

It is another object of the invention to provide mechanism of improved and simplified construction for transmitting oscillatory motion to the rufiling blade from the rotating main shaft of the machine in timed relation with the vertical reciprocatory movement of the needle.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of very simple and easily operated means for regulating or adjusting the efiective stroke of the ruffling blade to vary the width of the rurlies formed thereby.

It is an additional object of the invention to 4 provide operating means for the ruffler blade embodying a rock shaft, and a radially slidable element movable to and from a neutral position with respect to the axis of said shaft, together with improved means automatically operable in the movement of said element to neutral position to lift the rufliing blade out of operative contact with the material to be rufiied.

Finally, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a rufliing attachment for sewing machines as above characterized, embodying a very compact organization of cooperating parts of simple and rugged structural form, easily accessible for inspection and repair, and providing an attachment unit of this kind readily applicable to standard types of sewing machines with a minimum of alteration.

With the above and other subordinate objects in View, the invention comprises the improved ruiiling attachment for sewing machines and the construction and relative arrangement of its several parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, wherein I have shown one simple and practical embodiment of my present improvement, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a top plan view, illustrating one embodiment of my invention as applied to a well known type of sewing machine;

Figure 2 is an end elevation, the cover plate for the attachment housing arm being removed;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 5;

Figure l is a similar transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a detail longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a similar detail longitudinal section taken on the line l---'! of Figure 2; and

Figure 8 is a detail horizontal section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Figure 2.

For the purpose of illustrating one application of my present invention, I have shown the essential parts of a sewing machine of the well known Singer 400-W class. This machine includes the bed plate It having a vertical pedestal l2 integrally formed with or secured to one end thereof. This pedestal supports the horizontal hollow arm 14 in vertically spaced relation above the base plate I9, and in this arm, the main operating shaft it for the vertically reciprocating needle bar [3 mounted in the guide head 20 on the end of arm I4 is journalled. Since the op-- erating connections between said main shaft and the needle bar are conventional and well known, they will not be herein further described.

The vertically movable bar 22 carrying presser foot 2!; is also mounted in the head 20 in conventional manner, said presser foot cooperating with the usual four-motion feed dog 26 mounted in the throat plate 28, as shown in Figure 8 of the drawings.

The rufiling mechanism of the present invention is carried by a housing structure comprising an integral casting having an elongated portion 38 adapted to extend longitudinally along the rear side of the sewing machine arm i l provided at one of its ends with an angularly projecting hollow arm 32 extending forwardly from the part 38 beneath the machine arm id and at the inner side of the needle bar guide head 2 Y.

The part of the casting includes a hollow downwardly opening portion 34 longitudinally coextensive with the casting, and of substantially the same external contour as the upper end portion of the arm 32. At the opposite end of the part tee casting is formed with a transversely and long-it lly projecti nose portion 35 having 2. ca v 38 to register with an opening 46 formed through the rear side of the arm i l at its juncture with the pedestal i2. This nose piece fits within the recess :2 in the rear side of arm seen in Figure 1 of the drawings. The part 3% of the casting further includes the depending, longitudinally extending portion 1 5' coextensive thcrewith and integral with the inner side wall of the ar 32. at its lower end, part it is or" semi-cylindrical form and opens at the upper side thereof to receive the rock shait which is journalled one of its ends in a suitable bearing on one end wall of said part e; of the casting. lhe part of the castin at the open side of cavity 33 is provided with a downwardly extending, slot 5: and at each side or" slot, the'casting is rigidly secured to the pedestal I2 by means of one or more bolts or crews, indicated at To the main shaft H of the machine within the u per end of pedestal 2, a wide sprocket 54 is suitably fixed for engagement by the usual cl'eated belt driven by a motor (not shown) mounted on the machine base. To one side of this sprocket, an eccentric 56 is rigidly fixed relative to shaft 5:] by means of screws indicated at 53. l lls eccentric is peripherally circumscribed by the strap 62 on one end of the pitman which s pivotally connected at its other end to a crank arm G l suitably fixed to the rock: shaft 48, said pitman extending rearwardly through the slot 55' in the wall of the part 33 of the housing structure. It will therefore be apparent that, in therotaticn or" the main shaft 53 of the machine, the eccentr'c nd pitinan til transmit a rocking. or oscillatin motion to the shaft t8. At its other end, the shaft is detachably coupled to one. end of a shaft "=1? mounted in a bearing sleeve 62" suitably a boss l3 integral with the me wall of the 1g arm and with which a collar i2 holding the shafts #33 and in coupled relation is in Contact.

Within the hoing arm 32, av channelled guide arm '5 is rig J ixed in any suitable manner to the end of shaft to extend di etrically across the shaft end and in downwaro y proje ing relati '1 therefi A. In the channel of thi arm, a. block is slidably mounted. The block carries pivot stud '58 having tapped bore, which extends through the slot 82 in a lever 89. Preferably, this lever comprises two sections separably connected means of the screws in icated at 8 The upper lever section provided with slot 82 has an upwardly curved upper end portion 86, in which the upper closed end of slot 82 terminates, so that in one position of the block 55 said end of the slot and the pivot stud 98 to retain the rear end of said blade in oper tive engagement with the material to be rufiied, which is drawn from a spool or reel between said ruining blade 36 and the lower horizontally in clined, fixed yieldable blade 80. The base fabric material is intermittently fed by the feed dog 26 beneath the fixed blade I83 and under the presser foot 24. As herein shown, the rear end edge of the ruffiing blade 96 is toothed or serrated, and said blade and the blade Ifli) are notched as shown at IE2 in Figure 8, to accommodate the vertically reciprocating needle i8.

Within the tubular shaft 88, a second shait I64 is mounted for independent oscillatory motion, and to the outer end of this shaft the downwardly extending arm. m6 is fixed for engagement at its lower end with a transversely disposed lug hi3 carried by the rufliing blade adjacent the forward pivoted end thereof. To the inner end of the shaft an upwardly extending arm H9 is secured and is pivotally connected at iIZ to the lower end oi a link N 1. The upper end of this l-inlt' is pivotally connected at i IE '0 an arm 5'; secured tothe end of a second rocl; shaft iZO, projecting within the housing arm 32, said rock shaft being suitably journalled in bearing bosses i 22' and !2t on the inner wall of housing arm 32, and the opposite end of the part 34 of the housing casting. Within the housing arm 32, a second downwardly projecting crank arm i26 is secured to rock shaft I26, and the lower end screw I36, threaded into the tapped bore of stud l8; on the'block '56. Preferably, a spacing washer is interposed between the end of link l2z and lever 80.

The rock shaft is yieldingly urged in one direction by the torsion spring i3 surrounding said shaft and fixed at one of its end to an arm E36 secured to the shaft, and at itsother end to the inner side wall of the housing arm 32. This spring tends to rotate shaft I26 in clockwise direction, as seen in Figure 2, and hold the slide block it in a neutral coaxial position relative to shaft 68.

To the other end of the rock shaft I20, externally of the part 3 1 of the housing casting, an upwardly extending member I38 of wish-bone form is secured, as seen in Figure 4 of the drawings. In a boss on the upper end of each arm of member I38 a screw I40 and I42 respectively is adjustably threaded. Between said arms, a stop block I44- is secured to the end wall of part 36 of the housing by the screws I46.

Within the lower open side of the housing part 3 1, a lever hill is rigidly secured to the shaft I20 and extends rearwardly therefrom and beyond the wall of the housing part 34. To the latter end of said lever suitable manually operable means such as a foot treadle is adapted to be connected to oscillate the shaft I20 in a counterclockwise clirection against the resistance of spring I If desired, suitable latch means may be provided to releasably retain the lever I48 in its operated position.

In Figure 5 of. the drawings, I have shown a tube. I58 connected with the bearing sleeve 68 and attachedto the inner sidewall of the housing arm 32. The upper end of this tube opens through the top wall of the housing arm and through the same, lubricating oil may be supplied to the shaft 66. Suitable provision may also be made for supplying lubricant to the other bearings for the shafts 46, 88 and I20.

I11 mounting the attachment, the-nose'portion 36 of the housing structure is fitted into the recess 42 of the sewing machine arm to position the housing arm 32 beneath the machine arm l4 with the ruffiing blade 96 in accurately superposed relation with the fixed blade I60. The attaching screws 52 are then tightened to rigidly fix the housing structure in its mounted position. The eccentric actuated rod 66 is then connected with the arm 6 on shaft 46.

Assuming that screw are is in contact with stop block H34, and the slide block E6 in its neutral position in arm M, the screw M2 is now adjusted in accordance with the desired predetermined width of rufiie to be formed by the blade 96. Upon the downward movement of lever I46, the shaft I26 is rocked in counterclockwise direction, and through link I23, the slide block 66 is moved downwardly in the channel of guide arm 14 away from the axis of shaft 66 until the screw I42 contacts stop block Hi l. In this adjustment the pivot stud 18 moves freely in the slot 82 of lever 89, and thereafter transmits oscillating motion to said lever and shaft 88 from arm M, in the oscillatory motion of rock shaft 56 by the eccentric 56, to an extent determined by the location of said pivot stud '58 with respect to the axis of said rock shaft. Thus the extent of reciprocating motion or throw of the ruffling blade 96 may be varied by adjustment of stop screw M2 to form ruffles of a desired width.

As above noted, the base fabric to which the milled material is to be stitched is fed over the bed plate ii] of the machine beneath the fixed blade Hill and presser foot 2a. This yieldable blade lilll provides a base with which the toothed end of the rufiling blade 66 cooperates to gather or ruffle the strip of material overlying the blade I60 in each rearward movement of ruilling blade 66 towards the presser foot 2 5 and positions the rufiie in the path of vertical reciprocation of needle it to be stitched to the base fabric. In Figure 2 of the drawings, the slide block 76 is shown in adjusted position relative to the axis of rock shaft it for forming a narrow ruffie, while in Figure 3 the slide block has been further adjusted away from the axis of said shaft to form a relative wide rufiie. In Figure 2, the blade 96 is shown near the end of its ruffling stroke.

Operation of the rufiiing mechanism may be discontinued at any time when the ruffling blade 96 is in retracted position, by releasing the lever M3, whereupon spring 5345 rocks the shaft H28 in clockwise direction and moves the slide block 16 upwardly in the arm M to position the stud 18 in the upper curved end of slot 82 in lever 80 and in coaxial relation with the shaft 45, at which time screw Mil carried by member 538 is engaged with stop block hit. Thus, in the continued actuation of rock shaft it by eccentric 56, no oscillating motion will be transmitted to lever 80, so that reciprocating movement of the ruiiling blade 96 is discontinued. Simultaneously with the movement of the slide block to its neutral position, shaft I 3 is oscillated in counterclockwise direction within the tubular shaft 88 as the link H13 and arm iii! on said shaft move into a substantially straight-line position. Thus arm Hit on the outer end of shaft Hi l, coacting with lug 468, will slightly rock the milling blade 96 upwardly against the resistance of spring 98 to release the gripping pressure of said blade upon the strip of material, so that the latter can be removed.

It will be understood that the eccentric 56 may be so adjusted relative to the axis of the shaft I6 of the machine that rock shaft 46 will be actuated in properly timed relation with the vertical reciprocation of needle bar l8, so that the ruffle forming stroke of blade 66 will take place in the upstroke of the needle [8, as in Patent No. 2,245,877, and thus avoid possible interference by the blade 96 with the downward stroke of the needle and breakage of the latter.

Preferably, the outer side wall of the housing arm 62 at its rear end is provided with an access opening, normally closed by the cover plate I52, and the opposite side wall of said arm at its forward end is also provided with an access opening normally closed by the cover plate I54.

From the above description and the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the construction and several advantages of my present improvements will be readily understood. It will be seen that I have provided an attachment of this kind, having a novel one-piece housing structure for the actuating mechanism for the rufiiing blade, with means for easily, quickly, and accurately mounting the same in applied position upon the sewing machine arm, and which will automatically establish the rufliing blade in accurate operative position with respect to the stitching mechanism, and locate the rock shaft arm 65 in relation to the eccentric actuating rod 66 so that the operative connection between these parts can be quickly made at the rear open side of the part 34 of the housing shaft. It will be noted that all parts of the actuating mechanism are substantially concealed by the housing structure, which is of pleasing design, so that the attachment adds to the ornamental appearance of the machine as a whole. It will further be appreciated that I have materially simplified the means for selectively adjusting the position of the slide block and the operative connections between said block, the eccentric actuated rock shaft, and the oscillating lever for actuating the ruffiing blade. Also, the means for lifting the rufliing blade to inoperative position as the slide block is moved to neutral position is further simplified in certain respects. Thus the present invention provides a sewing machine attachment for intermittent or continuous ruffling, embodying a minimum number of elements of simple and rugged structural form, conducing to reasonably low production and maintenance costs, and which is easily applicable to standard makes of sewing machines with minimum alteration thereof.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a sewing machine having a supporting arm for stitching mechanism and a main operating shaft mounted therein; a rufiler attachment comprising an elongated housing structure of substantially coextensive length with the machine arm and means for rigidly mounting said structure on the rear side of said arm, said housing structure at one end having a part extending downwardly and forwardly F beneath the machine arm adjacent to the stitching mechanism, a rufliing blade mounted on the lower end of said housing part, actuating mechanism for said blade mounted in the housing structure including a rock shaft, the housing wall at its other end having an opening communicating with the interior of the machine arm and means operatively connecting said rock shaft through said opening within the other end of said housing structure to the main shaft of the machine.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the mounting means for said housing structure includes a forwardly offset part of said structure at said other end thereof fitted within a recess in the rear side of the machine arm.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, in which said offset part of the housing structure is provided with a vertically extending slot, and the operative connection between said rock shaft and main shaft comprises an eccentric actuated pitman extending from the main shaft through said slot.

4. In combination with a sewing machine arm having a main shaft therein and stitching mechanism mounted in one end of said arm, said arm at its other end having a recess in the rea side thereof; an elongated housing structure extending longitudinally along the rear side of said arm and having an angularly offset portion at one end fitted within said recess, means securingsaid structure at its latter end in rigidly fixed relation to the machine arm, said housing structure at its other end having a hollow arm extending downwardly and forwardly beneath the machine arm at the inner side of the stitching mechanism, a rufiiing blade oscillatably mounted on the lower end of said hollow arn a longi tudinally disposed rock shaft mounted in the housing structure, means within said housing arm operatively connecting one end of said shaft to the ruiliing blade, and an actuating connection between the main shaft and said rock shaft at the fixed end of the housing structure.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, Wherein said connecting means between the ruffiing blade and rock shaft includes a member radially adjustable to and from a neutral position in coaxial relation with said shaft, together with adjusting means for said member comprising a second rock shaft mounted in the housing structure and operatively connected at one end to said member, and means yieldingly resisting rocking motion of said shaft in one direction and urging said adjustable member to its neutral position.

6. The combination defined in claim 5, in which said second rock shaft at its other end extends externally of the housing structure, a stop member fixed to said structure, and a pair of relatively adjustable elements mounted on said shaft end at opposite sides of said stop member to engage the latter and limit rocking movement of said shaft in each direction.

'7. The combination defined in claim 5, together with additional means operatively connected with said second rock shaft to move the rufliing blade out of ruffle forming position in the movement of said adjustable member to neutral position.

8. In combination with a sewing machine arm having a main shaft therein and stitching mechanism mounted in one end of said arm, said arm at its other end having a recess therein, an elongated housing structure extending longitudinally along one side of said arm and having a part at one end fitted within said recess, means scour-- ing said structure at its latter end in rigidly fixed relation to the machine arm, said housing structure at its other end having a hollow extension at the inner side of the stitching mechanism terminating in advance of the needle, a rufiiing blade oscillatably mounted on said housing extension, a longitudinally disposed rock shaft mounted in the housin structure, means within said housing extension operatively connecting one end of said shaft to the ruifiing blade, and an actuating connection between the main shaft and said rock shaft at the fixed end of the housing structure.

9. In combination with a sewing machine having a main needle operating shaft, a rufliing unit comprising a supporting structure attached to one side of said machine, an oscillatory shaft mounted in said structure, a rufliing blade carried by said shaft in advance of the machine needle, a pair of parallel rock shafts journalled at their opposite ends in said supporting structure and disposed between horizontal planes intersecting the axes of said main and oscillatory shafts, means operatively connecting the main shaft with one of said rock shafts, connecting means between the latter rock shaft and said oscillatcr shaft to selectively govern the oscillating motion of the rufliing blade including a member movable to and from an inoperative neutral position in co-axial relation to said rocl; shaft, means operatively connecting the other rock shaft to said member to adjustably position said member, and means biasing said latter rock shaft in one direction to normally retain said member in co-axial neutral position with respect to said first named rock shaft.

10. The combination defined in claim 9, together with an adjustable member carried by the second named rock shaft and stop means on the supporting structure engaged by said member to limit rocking motion of said shaft in opposition to said biasing means and movement of said member from its neutral position.

VICTOR J. SIGODA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date ,161,410 De Rose June 6, 1939 2,233,752 Sigoda Mar. 4, 1941 2,360,045 De Rose Oct. 10, 1944 2,427,372 Sigoda Sept. 16, 1947 

